What Did Jesus Mean When He Said We Need to Eat His Flesh and Drink His Blood?" - John 6:45-59

John 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God." Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Jesus quotes from Isaiah where the prophets says, "All your children will be taugh by God." The idea was the God would not give up on Israel and would bring future generations back to him. Importantly everything the Father has taught will lead them to Jesus. "Jesus here again insisted on His unique relationship to God the Father. He claimed a relationship and connection with God the Father that no one else had." (Guzik)

John reminds them that though their ancestors ate the heavenly bread (manna) in the wilderness, they still died. It was only a temporary provision. But the bread he would provide would bring them to eternal life. This is an astounding claim that no other prophet had made before, and no one since then. "Jesus spoke in a figure of speech. The metaphor of eating and drinking was common in Jesus’ day, and pointed to a taking within one’s innermost being." (Guzik)

Then Jesus makes another claim that sent quite a shockwave through those gathered. He says, "This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world." After the Jews ask him how they literally can eat his flesh, he says something even more shocking, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. My flesh is real food and my blood real drink." This is almost sounds like the language of "vampires", or a horror movie. So what does he mean? 

The most likely thing Jesus is pointing to is to his sacrificial death on the cross. Of course his flesh, his body was offered on the cross. Or, I should say nailed to the cross. His blood was poured out for us as the once and for all sacrifice for our sin.  But why must we eat and drink of his flesh and blood?

Jesus is using metaphor throughout this teaching. When he said he was the bread of life, he was obviously not claiming to be real bread.  And when he says to them they must eat of his flesh and drink of his blood, he is saying they must participate in and believe in Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. It should be so personal and real, it would be as if they were literally doing it. 

“The actual flesh and blood, the human life of Christ, was given for men; and men eat His flesh and drink His blood, when they use for their own advantage His sacrifice, when they assimilate to their own being all the virtue that was in Him.” (Dods)

"The sacrificed life of Jesus isfood and drink for the hungry and thirsty soul. When we receive and internalize Jesus Christ and Him crucified for us, we truly abide in Jesus, and He in us (abides in Me, and I in him)." (Guzik)

In summary, Jesus invites us into such a personal relationship with him that he compares it to eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Jesus is using hyperbole in part because he knew the Pharisees would react to it, just as they had reacted to everything else he had already said. Though this particular teaching was not referring to Holy Communion, it certainly has application for it when we observe it today.

Why? Because though we (Lutherans) don't believe the bread and wine are literallty Jesus' body and blood, we do believe Jesus is present in the wine and the bread in a very special way that we can't comprehend except by faith.  Holy Communion is one of the most intimate times in the life of a Christian, if we prepare ourselves and remember the full extent of Jesus' sacrifice for our sin. Jesus never left communion as an option, as he told his disciples, "Whenever you gather do this in remembrance of me" 

Holy Communion is a wonderful time to apply this teaching and to spend meaningful time with the Lord in fellowship with other believers who are doing the same thing. Of course, like any spiritual discipline, we can rush through it and not get anyting out of it. But for those who coming seeking Jesus will be satisifed both now as they receive his body and blood in faith, and forever when we celebrate the feast that will have no end with the communion of saints. 

How do you approach Holy Communion? If Jesus says, "This is my body given for you" and, "This is my blood shed for you", what does he mean? How can the sacrament of communion deepen your connection and intimacy with Christ? Do you have a personal relationship with Christ, which metaphorically speaking is like feasting on his presence and sacrificial love?